R.I.P. McCann Center Track

Well, Marist finally did it. They might as well have cut our track program as it feels that's where it's headed. OK, so I'm being dramatic. But Pete called us to a meeting last night, all 88 of us in the Enhancement Center in McCann. Tight squeeze. There were possibilities of what he called us in for swirling around the air. Was the men's program cut? What about the women's program? Was Chuck leaving? Like I said, craziness. Well, Marist is taking away our McCann center indoor track around the basketball court. They're replacing it with a hard wood floor and they refuse to put lanes on it. The basketball team and other teams can then practice at more times because there's more room. So we were shunted to early morning workouts or late night ones if we want to try and use the hard wood. But, no lanes. They didn't even consult Pete. So April 18th, it will be gone. the boys were joking around, saying they were going to sit on the track when they come in to tear it up. Or doing some type of protest. But we know it's hopeless.

So. How do we move on? W have no outdoor track to shovel and no nearby indoor facilities. We're being relegated to road workouts. Distance runners will live. But the Sprinters? Maybe the turf field? It just really stinks. We're Division I Athletes. How can they expect us to stay a competitive program with no track AT ALL??? Sure, basketball brings in more money. And our women's team does fantastic. But is it really fair to dump the track kids out in the cold? they didn't even give us a chance to bring in revenue or find somewhere else to go. Pete is thinking of suggesting a bubble dome in the back with another little rubber track for us to use. That will take a while though. I suggested they get us more treadmills because the regular students are always on them and there's only like 10 as it is. How can 88 athletes do track workouts on 10 treadmills? Hopefully they find some way to help us. Or things might get ugly.

It's interesting how they say to appreciate what you have. We complain about McCann and how it gives us shin splints or hip problems. Now it's gone and we've realized just how vital it was to our program. It was our facility. It had a certain novelty to it since we don't even have an outdoor track. But like Pete said, We Are Marist Track & Field. We are tough and we will survive this storm. We're the toughest, strongest group of athletes on this campus. So they can throw what they want at us. In time, we WILL come out on top. If we have to do it without the respect and support of our athletic department, then so be it. In the end, we will be the better for it.

In our news, I did 8 by 1,000m  repeats at the Vassar track today. Might I add, they have a beautiful track and they're only D3. Go figure. The wind today was BRUTAL. 16mph, gusting higher at times. So 8 x 1k...not the best for a day like today. But I toughed it out. The wind took my breath away in some spots, but otherwise I felt alright. Little tired from this weekend still.
Splits:
3:35, 3:40, 3:38, 3:36, 3:38, 3:38, 3:40, 3:36

Not awful. Chuck wanted me to hit all 3:40's. So I succeeded, just had to put in a little extra effort. The 12 mile run yesterday also took a little more out of me than I thought I guess. haha

Alright well...I need to shower. I have a law exam tomorrow. I managed to tackle a good 10 pages on the Reckoning Essay. We need 12 maximum, so I just need to go in and edit and maybe add some detail. Fingers crossed that I'm on the right track.

I want summmerrrr. :(